Key & Compass presents: The Bureau of Strange Happenings by Phil Riley
The Bureau of Strange Happenings is a Glulx interactive fiction game written with Inform 7 and is ยฉ 2024 by Phil Riley. It was an entry in IF Comp 2024, placement to be determined.
In this occult game, you play as Agent Larch Faraji of the Bureau of Strange Happenings, recently relocated to a strip mall in Maryland due to budget cuts. Your efforts to answer the phone locked inside your desk lead you through hyperspace and to a new mission: rescue another agent trapped in Enigma Lake, New York by lizard people in 1954.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the game.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction game. Please make an honest effort to play the game before reading this walkthrough.
Map 2: Featureless hyperplane and BOSH field office
Note: Until Daniels tweaks the recall button, pushing the recall button teleports you to the field office chief's office from anywhere or anywhen in the game.
Map 3: Enigma Lake, NY, 1954
Map 4: The Bureau of Special Help
Walkthrough
Are you using a screen reader?
>> no —or— yes
South end of the strip mall parking lot
NOTE: This game is told in third-person.
> about.
> x me. x car. i. x phone. x office.
> w —or— in.
Front office
Margaret tells Faraji she put their desk together, and their new phone is on the desk. Faraji hands over their old phone, which Margaret promptly deactivates.
Soon after you meet Margaret, she enters an infinite loop of activity where she periodically flattens and picks up cardboard boxes here, then carries them down the hall, through your office, and into to a back lot where she tosses the boxes into a dumpster. Then she returns here to start the cycle anew. She is slowed down by unlocking, opening, closing, and locking the back door.
A phone is ringing somewhere to the west. Don't worry about rushing to answer it. Trust me on this.
> ask about phone exchange.
> ask where Klimp is. ask where Moira is.
If necessary, wait until Margaret heads west. Follow her.
> w. s.
Faraji's office
Assuming Margaret is here, unlocking the back door.
> ask about computer.(It's behind Margaret's desk.)
Margaret goes west.
> x desk.(fastened with hex screws)
> open drawer.(locked)
Margaret arrives.
> ask about desk key.("It's in your desk.")
> ask about hex wrench.(It's in the heating vent behind her desk.)
Margaret heads north. Follow her.
> n. e.
Front office
> ask about locked desk.("take it apart?")
Okay, stop questioning Margaret for now. Explore a bit.
> x Margaret.
> x desk.(You find your computer and that vent.)
> x computer.(Faraji takes a thumb drive from it.)
> x drive. x symbols.
> x vent. x screws. x wrench.
> x photos. x couch. x table. x rack.
> x shelves. x carpet.
By this time, Margaret has returned from another trip to the dumpster.
> ask for screwdriver.(left behind)
> unscrew screws with drive.(nope)
> e. n.
North end of the strip mall parking lot
> x center. x posters.("Answer the Call!" har har)
> x store. x road. x sign.
> e.
Li'l Nectarine Convenience Store
> ask for screwdriver.(only for sale)
> x screwdriver. x case.
> x flashlight. x computer. x earbuds.
> x clerk. x t-shirt. x cigarettes. x tickets.
> x counter. x aisles. x shelves. x magazine.
> w. s.
South end of the strip mall parking lot
> x swamp. x car wash.
> x laundromat. A-plus.(closed)
> x pawn shop.(Spoiler: You won't find any gold today.)
> sw.
Dave's Pawn Shop
> ask for screwdriver.(Laundromat guy borrowed it.)
> ask about laundromat owner.
The laundromat's been closed for two weeks. He suggests that if you trespass, see if you can find a watch the guy borrowed.
Asking Dave about the laundromat owner triggers the arrival of Klimp; you hear a car door slam. But there's no need to rush. Klimp is in his office from now on. Finish exploring here.
> ask about watch.
> x Dave. x tattoo.
> ask about tattoo. ask about Butterfree.
> x counter. x jewelry. x guns. x blinds.
> out.
South end of the strip mall parking lot
> x porsche. w. w. w.
BOSH chief's office
Klimp gives you a copy of "Liber Animarum", not caring at all what you do with it.
By the way, did you notice how you can ask everyone you meet for a screwdriver, but never for a hex wrench? What's up with that?
> ask for screwdriver.
> x Liber. x Klimp. x desk.
> ask Klimp about money.(ask Margaret)
> x books. x Aliens. x Travels.
> x Dictionary.(random entry)
> x BOSH.
Dictionary topics (an incomplete list)
Alchemy
aliens
Ancient astronauts
Ancient Egypt
astral plane
Atlantis
Bermuda Triangle
Betty and Barney Hill Abduction
Church of Scientology
Crop circles
Crystals
Divining
Dyatlov Pass Incident
ESP
Freemasons
Ghosts
Holy Grail
Hypnosis
Illuminati
Jersey Devil
Knights Templar
Levitation
Ley lines
Moberly-Jourdaim Incident
Mothman
Nikola Tesla
Ouija boards
Phoenix Lights
Rendelsham Forest Incident
Roswell Incident
Sargasso Sea
Shroud of Turin
Spear of Destiny
Sponstaneous human combustion
Telekinesis
Teleportation
Time Travel
UFOs
Vampires
Yeti
Zener Cards
Zombies
You can get extremely sidetracked by looking up topics in the dictionary, asking Klimp about any of them, also about several of the random things that he says. Within a few turns, he's mentioned Budapest, Senator Savra, aliens, ghosts, vampires, and the Black Knight Satellite. Feel free to explore these topics, but they're almost all not relevant.
What you must do is examine the shelves and ask for the astral lenses. Why? Because. This is a bottleneck in the game mostly because the potential deluge of info from Klimp and his books obscures what's important or unusual. If everything is weird and strange, nothing stands out.
> x shelves. x skull. x lenses.
> ask about lenses.
> ask to borrow lenses.
> wear lenses.(not with indoor lighting)
> e. s.
Faraji's office
If necessary, wait or vamp until Margaret gets here. Some suggested actions:
> x degree. x drawing. x photo.
> x carpet. x chair. x screws.
When Margaret arrives to unlock the door:
> ask about money.
> w.
Back Lot
> x dumpster. x fence. x property.
> x laundromat door. open it.(locked)
> wear lenses. x tunnel.
> help hyperspace.
In this version of hyperspace, the new directions are FORTH (F) and BACK (B). In other games, they might be called ANA and KATA.
> b.
Astral Tunnel (two locations)
> n. f.
Laundromat back room
Because of the lights, you immediately remove the lenses.
> x desk. x papers. take paper.
> open drawer. x key. take it. unlock door.
> e.
Laundromat
> x machines. unlock door. x handtruck.
> w. d.
Laundromat basement
> x boxes.
> s.
Back basement
> x switch. x glow. x crates.
> move crates.(not by hand)
> turn off switch.
> n. u. e.
Laundromat
> wear lenses.(A new tunnel is found.)
> push handtruck bs.
Astral tunnel
> push handtruck b.
Back Basement
> move crates.(using the handtruck)
> x machine. open it. enter it.
Featureless Hyperplane
You immediately remove the lenses; it's too bright here. All directions are possible, including the hyper ones. You don't see any way back.
Something is to the forthnorth.
> x structure.
The structure is quite distant, and you must be persistent to reach it, since it's not obvious for ages if you're making any progress.
> fn. fn. fn.("not too far off")
> fn. f. fn. f. fn. f. fn.("close by")
> f.
Ethereal Pillar ("qo : b : pb")
> x pillar.
> x ethereal symbols.("o p q d b")
> x message.("All you need is love : love: love - Doris")
> x compass.("qo : b : pb")
> take compass.
Experimentation shows that:
"o p q d b" means "0 1 2 3 4 5".
The compass shows x:y:z coordinates in base-5 using those letters for digits.
Going north and south changes the x-coordinate on the compass. North increases it; south decreases it.
Going west and east changes the y-coordinate on the compass. West increases it; east decreases it.
Going forth and back changes the third number on the compass. Forth increases it; back decreases it.
"Love" is zero in tennis, so you want to go to "o : o : o" by going south ten times, east four times, and back nine times.
If you go too far, negative numbers are indicated with a hatch character after the letters, so "p#" means minus one.
> s. s. s. s. s.
> s. s. s. s. s.
> e. e. e. e.
> b. b. b. b. b.
> b. b. b. b.
Descending Stair (o : o : o)
> x stairs. d.
Field office reception
Maggie appears to be an odder version of Margaret.
> x directory. x desk. x panel.
> x Maggie. ask for screwdriver.
If you ask how to get home, Maggie activates the auxilary portal in Portal Room 2.
> ask about Doris.(He's west.)
> ask about Christy.(They're west then south.)
> ask about Minerva.(She drinks coffee; she's west then north.)
> ask about portal to the past.(activated via her control panel; the portal itself has a panel to set the when and where)
> ask about me.
> w. w.
Field office chief's office
Doris asks if you brought the thumb drive. Doris is basically another Klimp.
> x Doris. ask who he is. ask about his name.
> ask where we are.(He claims that your office is a branch of his.)
> tell Doris Klimp is fine.
> ask for screwdriver.
> show drive. give drive.
An agent, Daniels, was lost in time. The symbols on the drive say "They found me out and sent me back. 14th century. Old Onondaga holy place. Savra is going to move on the Dragon."
> ask about Savra.(He asks if you believe in aliens.)
> yes.(He laughs. Aliens aren't real. Senator Savra is a lizard person from Earth's history.)
> ask about lizard person.(allergic to rutabagas)
> tell Doris Savra's not reptilian.(He's in disguise. Then Doris mentions your mission.)
> ask about mission.(You first need to find a book like New Bikers of Troy, or something like that, to help locate the Onondaga holy place. Bring the book here.)
> ask about New Bikers of Troy.
> ask about the Dragon.(He won't tell you until you need to know.)
> ask about time travel.(It's real.)
> ask how to get home.(ask Maggie)
> x posters. x maps. x charts. x desk.
> x Tardis. x Rubik's. x CMY. x papers.
> e. s.
Christy's office
Of course, Christy is your counterpart here.
> x Christy. ask for screwdriver.
> x desk. x sketchbook. x pencil.
> ask about Doris. ask about sketchbook.
> ask about BOSH. ask about Christy.
> ask about Minerva. ask about Maggie.
> n. n.
Minerva's Office
> x Minerva. x desk. x maker.
> ask for screwdriver.
You can read Minerva's books without needing to borrow them first. You don't need any of Minerva's books. You will need coffee later.
> read hyperspace.
> read light.
> read advanced.
> s. f.
Portal Room 1
> x machinery. x portal. x panel. x keypad.
> b. b.
Portal Room 2
> x machinery. x portal.
> f. e.
Field Office Reception
> ask how to get home.(Maggie activates the auxiliary portal.)
> w. b. in.
Utility closet
> wear lenses.(Now you can "see".)
> w.(locked)
> x box. open box.(locked)
> knock on door.(Moira unlocks the door and lets you out.)
Moira's office
Like Minerva, Moira has a collection of borrowable books.
> tell Moira about portal.
> ask for screwdriver.
> x Moira. x desk. x shelves.
Hmmm. "Tribes of New York" is an anagram of "New Bikers of Troy".
> x Tribes.(It mentions the Onondaga tribe and lizard people.)
> ask to borrow a book.
>> Tribes
Optional: Read all the other books:
> read No Myth.(author is Niz Ariom)
> ask about Atlantis.
> read PhD.
> read Hoax.
> read Applied.
> read Biking.(Spooney was ill with a stomach bug. He thought he was followed by lizard people.)
> read Investigative.(Arthur "Spooney" Spooner of Enigma Lake might've been murdered by lizard people.)
> read Calculus.
> read Stigmata.
> ask about chief.
> ask about Margaret.
> ask about me.
> ask about Voynich.
Head for the hyperspace portal:
> s. e. e. nw. w. d. s.
Back Basement
> enter machine.
Descending Stair
Oh good, you don't need to navigate that space again.
> d. w. w.
Field office chief's office
> give Tribes.(He scribbles a note for you to give to Christy.)
> x note.(You can't read it.)
> e. s.
Christy's office
> give note.(They take the note and Tribes and ask for a cup of coffee.)
> n. n.
Minerva's office
> ask for a cup of coffee.(You pour yourself one.)
> s. s.
Christy's office
> give coffee.(They'll let you know when they have something.)
> n.(They're done! They give you Tribes back and a note for Doris.)
> x note.("62358234")
> n. w.
Field office chief's office
> give note.
He now knows the destination: Enigma Lake. He'll send you to 1954 before it was flooded. Find Daniels or something of his.
> ask how will I find him.
> tell Doris I'm ready.
He gives you a recall button. Push it to return to Doris's office whenever you need to.
> x button.
> e. f.
Portal room 1
> enter portal.
Enigma Lake town hall
> x desk.(You find a bell and a backpack.)
> x backpack.("WGT")
> open it. x red key.("ELG" = Enigma Lake Gymnasium)
> wear backpack.
> x schedule.
The initials "WGT" on the backpack don't seem to match anyone on the schedule until you remember Bill is short for William. The backpack and the red key belonged to William (Bill) Thompson.
> x bell. take it.
> s.
๐ฆ ๐ฆ ๐ฆ
There's a randomized element in Enigma Lake: a trio of lizard people are wandering about. If you encounter them directly, they teleport you to another random location in town. This makes it challenging to write a walkthrough around them.
There is a way to banish the lizard people so they no longer annoy you, but until then we need to establsh a strategy around them.
So... I'm going to pretend they aren't teleporting you. When they do teleport you, consult map 3 and walk back to where you were then continue using the walkthrough as if nothing happened. When you're more familiar with the geography, feel free to move out of their way instead.
200 Block of Main Street
> x hall. x store.
> s.
Rolle's Department Store
The lamp is important; the waxer is not.
> x lamp.("Spectre", has power cord, but no bulb or shade)
> take lamp.
> x waxer.
> n. w.
Main and Solvay
> s.(Skillet door locked)
> sw.
Fresnel's Music
> x fork. take it. hit it.(440 Hz)
> ne. w.
Reading Room
> take Secrets. read it.(This is your first introduction to astral resonators.)
> x chairs. x counter.
> x shelves.(You examine a random book.)
Shelved books
Ambush and Alliteration by Jane Austen
Anywhere But Wherever You Are by Portia Redfern
The Bureau of Strange Happenings by Philip Riley
The Encyclopedia of Encyclopedias by The Editors of the Encyclopedia of Encyclopedias
The Four-Body Problem by Q. Zhang
How Did You Think This Was Going to Go? by T. Elvis Cartwright
Ice, Ice, Baby: A Critical Examination of Vanilla Ice by Andy Richter
The Indescrible Mister Whimsy by P. J. Woodlouse
An Inscrutable Enigma by Andrรฉ d'Enfer
Lizard People: The Truth by Chip Flemki
Moralizing for Fun and Profit by The Reverend Jefferson Utz
My Life: A Memoir by Anonymous
Myopia by Blake Grouch
No One Knows My Tale: The Untold Story of the Unknown by M. Franke
Of the Nature of Melancholy by Ender Fatum
Oh Please, Not Another Vampire Novel by Marjorie Asphodel
On the Many Uses of Extension Cords by G. W. F. Hegel (not that one)
Prayers for the Utilitarian by Bravo Sampson
Proper Use of Onomatopoeia by Andrea D'Andrea
QWERTY: An Elegy by Lionel Sexton
Rational Origami by Ishirล Honda
Terrifying New Facts About the Moon by Linus Anagram
The Secret Life of X by Melony Tickens
The Secret of Tiny Town by Fiddly Squibb
Shameless Little Pests: A Treatise on Penguins by Isaac Shlabotnik
The Truth of the Mary Celeste by Drax O'Finn
The Unbearable Horror of Time by Hortense Etrange
Your Friend, the Sledgehammer by Josef K.
Why You Shouldn't Read This Book by Marlo Grimsby
There is an insane number of books on these shelves. They all have interesting descriptions. You cannot take any of the shelved books, but you can re-read a specific book if you know its title or author.
None of the shelved books here are relevant to your quest.
> d.
Bookstore basement
> take Root. read it.(Rutabagas can be a weapon against "evil earth demons".)
> x cord. take it.
> x breeze.(sewage smell)
> x walls. x shelves. x boxes.
> u. e. n.
Solvay Road 100 block
> x station.
> w.(no: garage door too heavy to open manually)
> n.
Solvay Road loading out of town
> x Horton House.(Hezekiah Horton was a supernaturalist.)
> w.(locked)
> e.
Enigma Park
> x obelisk.(has crystal on top)
> x crystal. take it.(can't)
> climb obelisk.(can't)
> n.
Lake shore north of the park
> se.
Workshed
> open cabinet.(locked)
> x floor. x bulb.
> take bulb. put bulb in lamp.
> out. e.
Lake Street and Ridge Road
> x truck. take cutters.
> x hood. open it. x battery.(leaking acid)
> enter truck.
> open glove compartment. take brass key. x it.
> out. s. e.
First Utilitarian Church of Enigma Lake
> x windows. x pulpit. x Bible.
> x pews. x outlet.
> e.
Vestry
> x tapestry. move it.(circuit breaker switch found)
> x switch. turn it on.
> w. d.
Church basement
You can see in here if you wear the lenses.
> wear lenses.
> x altar.(has The Book of Utilitarianism)
> x Book.(can't with lenses on)
> take Book.(no: shocked)
> u.
First Utilitarian Church of Enigma Lake
> plug lamp in cord.
> plug cord in outlet.
> turn on lamp.(It's lit.)
> remove lenses. d.
Church basement
The Book of Utilitarianism has many entries, but reading at least six should be sufficient. Note which scary word, such as "hermeneutics" makes lizard people run away; the scary word is randomized. Also, you're told again that they don't like rutabagas.
Oh, there might be a story about someone named Gorm you can piece together in this, but it's not relevant.
> x Book. g. g. g. g. g.
> u.
First Utilitarian Church of Enigma Lake
You can leave the extension here and plugged in for later.
> turn off lamp. unplug it. drop cord.
> u.
Steeple
> x telescope.
> look in telescope.(It's pointed at the obelisk.)
> focus telescope.(can't)
Wait until you see the "shadowy figures" (the lizard people) and learn where they currently are.
> d. w.
Lake Street by the park
Now go to the lizard people or wait for them here if they're coming your way.
> GO-TO-LIZARD-PEOPLE.
(lizard people location)
> SCARY-WORD.
You banish the lizard people, and one of them drops a shiny astral resonator!
> take shiny. x it.(It has chains with clamps on the ends to it can be attached to something.)
> hit fork.(The resonator resonates with it.)
Use map 3 to find Solvay Road by the lake at almost the northwest corner of the map. Head there.
> GO-TO-SOLVAY-ROAD-BY-THE-LAKE.
Solvay Road by the lake
The compass pings.
> x compass.(The compass shows a new randomized eight-digit number. I'll call this the Solvay-by-Lake-number. Remember it for later.)
> w.
Dirty shack
> ask who he is.(Hutz, the town groundskeeper)
> ask for screwdriver.
> ask why he's still here.
> ask how he can help them.
> x Hutz. x cat.
> x plates. x cups. x sledgehammer.
> ask about secret.
> ask Hutz for help.(He can't focus.)
Go get him some coffee.
> push button.
Field office chief's office
> e. f.
Portal Room 1
> x panel.(It currently shows the number you saw on Christy's note.)
> type SOLVAY-BY-LAKE-NUMBER on keypad.
> b. n.
Minerva's office
> ask for coffee.(You get a cup.)
Rush to Hutz with it before it gets cold.
> s. f. in. w.
Dirty shack
> give coffee to Hutz.(He gulps it down.)
> ask if can help.(He gives you an iron key for the workshed cabinet; something inside can help you.)
> pet cat.
> take hammer.
> ask about lizard people. ask about cat.
> ask about Henry's.
> ask about resonator.
> ask about hammer.(from Josef)
> ask about flood.
> e. e. e. se.
Workshed
> unlock cabinet with iron key. open it.
> take rusty resonator. x it.
> out. s. s. s. w.
Main and Solvay
> s.(unlocking the Skillet door with the brass key you got from the truck's glove compartment)
Henry's Hot Skillet
> x counter. x wires. pull wires.
> u.
Henry's Roof
> x aerial. x wires. x threaded socket.
> d. n. w.
Reading Room
I just want to point out this book on the shelves:
> read Josef.
> d.
Bookstore basement
> hit wall with hammer.
You've opened a passage into the sewer tunnels.
> n. e. e. n.
Gym basement
> x lockers.(numbered 1 to 100)
> u.
Public Gymnasium
> x desk. x record book.
Bill Thompson (from the town hall schedule) has an entry in this book. Remember his locker-number listed at the end; it's randomized.
> look up Bill in book.
> x green key. take it. unlock door.
> x basketball. take it. dribble it.
> shoot hoops. g.(Repeat as often as you like; when it goes through, you earn points.)
> score.(oh, you fibber)
> x area. x machines. x free weights.
> lift weights.(not now)
> d.
Gym basement
> open locker LOCKER-NUMBER.(using the red key. You acquire a copper key.)
> x copper key.
Of course, the copper key is for the Horton House.
> u. w. n. w. w. w.
Horton Family House kitchen
> x rod. take it.
> x table. x chairs. x hearth. x logs.
> s.
Horton Family House parlor
As you enter, a horrible doll-fly attacks you before flying out of the room.
> x table.
> x Names. take Names.
You can look up a creature name to see it and its incantation.
> wear lenses.(aha)
> fs.
Astral tunnel
> be.
Hook and Ladder Company #1
> x ladder. take it.
> push blue button.(The garage door opens.)
> fw. bn. n. u.
Second floor of the Horton Family House
> x window. x bed. x straw.
> x wardrobe. open it.
> take Witnessing. x it.
To summarize what Witnessing tells you:
Make or find an ash wood frame.
Put a resonant instrument, a ghostly light, and an astral focus into the frame.
Hit the frame with Hezekiah's Rod to make an astral resonator.
Climb a ladder and channel power through the resonator towards the crystal eye.
Illuminate the crystal eye twice more to open the portal.
And what that all means:
You haven't found the frame yet.
The "resonant instrument" is the fork, not the bell.
The "ghostly light" is the table lamp with the bulb in it. (Remember its brand name is Spectre? Don't try to take the moon, silly, that's not gonna work.)
The "astral focus" is/are the astral lenses, of course.
Hezekiah's Rod isn't the dowsing rod. It's another rod you don't have yet.
The ladder is the one in the church, not the one you just picked up.
The channelled power is normal electricity.
The crystal eye is the crystal on the obelisk.
You need to send three beams of light at the crystal simultaneously, using three different astral resonators.
> d. w.
Horton graveyard
> x shovel. take it.
> x holes. d.(not unaided)
> put ladder in hole. d.
Large grave
Something you have vibrates.
> x rod.(It's vibrating.)
> dig.(with the shovel. You acquire a wooden frame. The rod stops vibrating.)
> x frame.(It has an open lid.)
> u.
Horton graveyard
> take ladder.
> e. e. e. e. e.
First Utilitarian Church of Enigma Lake
The doll-fly is here.
> x doll-fly.(It tells you its full-name, eg: "Zorax the Pugnacious".)
> look up FULL-NAME in Names.(Note which bane-word is written below the drawing, eg: "fooblitzky".)
> say BANE-WORD.(The doll-fly disappears, dropping something.)
> look.
> take Rod of Hezekiah. x it.
I'm assuming the lamp is not plugged into the cord, but it still has its light bulb.
> put fork in frame.
> put lamp in frame.
> put lenses in frame.
> hit frame with Rod of Hezekiah.(The frame fuses into a makeshift astral resonator.)
> x makeshift.(It has a short cord dangling from it.)
> plug makeshift into cord.
I'm assuming the cord is still plugged into the outlet, but if not, do it:
> plug cord into outlet.(The makeshift resonator is lit.)
> u.
Steeple
> take telescope.
> put makeshift on tripod.(A beam of light hits the obelisk.)
> d. w. s. s.
Main and Lake
> x WGXC.("1055 AM")
> se.
Radio Station WGXC
> u.
Radio station roof
> x tower.(Something was mounted here.)
> x cabinet.
> x padlock.(needs a key)
> cut padlock with cutters.(The cabinet contains a power switch that's off.)
> turn on switch.(The tower hums.)
> attach shiny to tower.(A second beam of light hits the obelisk.)
> d. s.
Broadcast booth
> x bin.(which?)
> x rotation bin. x trash bin.
> x turntable. x speakers.
Now that the radio station has power, feel free to put any record on the turntable, then PLAY RECORD, but you don't need to play any of them.
When you're done here, fetch something from the first location in the game:
> push button.
Field office chief's office
> e. b. in. w. s. e. e.
South end of the strip mall parking lot
> x Hyundai.
> open Hyundai hood.
> x battery. take it.
> push button. e. f.
Portal room 1
Pushing reset makes this portal reset its connection back to the town hall.
> push reset. in.
Enigma Lake town hall
> s. w. s.
Henry's Hot Skillet
> put battery on counter.
> attach wires to battery.
> u.
Henry's Roof
> put rusty in socket.(A third beam of light hits the obelisk.)
When the third resonator is placed, lightning strikes the crystal, and you should really go there and see what changed.
> d. n. n. n. e.
Enigma Park
The obelisk moved, revealing a ladder down.
> d.
Circular chamber
> save
> x portal. enter portal.
Old root cellar (BOSS BATTLE!)
Note: The scary-word you used on the lizard people won't work on them a second time.
> Daniels, open green basket.(He finds a rutabaga.)
> Daniels, throw rutabaga at lizard people.(It's now near you.)
CAUTION: If you immediately "throw rutabaga at lizard people" now, they see it coming, and it lands far away from you.
> take rutabaga.
If necessary, DODGE or TAKE POTATO until Daniels insults the lizard people, and they turn to him and away from you.
> throw rutabaga at lizard people.
You win the battle! Daniels introduces himself as an agent of the BOSH field office and also as the laundromat owner.
By the way, if you lose the battle, the game resets itself back before you entered the portal so you can try again.
> tell Daniels Doris sent me.
> ask about laundromat.(He lost Dave's screwdriver.)
> ask how he got here.(Savra's minions sent him back into the past and he was stuck.)
> ask where we are.
> ask what's next.
Daniels tweaks the recall button so it'll send him back to his office and you back to yours. He gives the recall button to you to use.
> open red basket.(potatoes)
> open blue basket.(turnips)
> push button.
Just before you make contact, he hands you something. You're now inside ...
The Dumpster
> x trash. x boxes. out.
Back lot
> i. x wristwatch.("DM")
By the way, the recall button didn't come with you.
> n. e. se. sw.
Dave's pawn shop
> give watch to Dave.(He gives you a gift card in exchange.)
> x card.
> ne. n. e.
Li'l Nectarine Convenience Store
By the way, if you foolishly try to buy anything else with the card, you learn they're too expensive.
> buy screwdriver with card.
> w. s. w.
Front Office
> unscrew screws.(You get the hex wrench and close the vent.)
> w. s.
Faraji's office
> unscrew desk.
*** Congratulations on answering the phone! ***
Larch Faraji will return in "BOSH II: Mazes".
[No, not that kind of maze.]
Extras
Characters
In Swamp Park:
Larch Faraji is the non-binary player-character, a cynical agent of BOSH.
Margaret Chao is their oddly-robotic receptionist.
Chief Huffton Klimp is a bit much, full of childish credulity. He drives a Porsche and his office is full of character.
Moira Zin is a hard-working, open-minded agent.
Dave runs the pawn shop. He has a Butterfree tattoo.
The clerk of the convenience store is bored.
In hyperspace:
Doris is the chief of the field office, and another mad hatter type like Klimp.
Maggie is the receptionist of the field office and has the personality of a wooden puppet.
Christy is your counterpart in the field office, but they're more bitter.
Minerva is Moira's counterpart in the field office. She has less books but more coffee.
In Enigma Park:
Three lizard people are sculking about the town. They want something called the Dragon.
Hutz is the town's groundskeeper. He's like a living skeleton and has only stayed because they figured someone like you would show up and need their help.
Hutz's cat has no name but Cat. You may pet it.
A doll-fly menaces you in a parlor, then in a church.
Daniels is an agent from the BOSH field office in hyperspace who was sent back in time by the lizard people. He's also the missing laundromat owner who has Dave's watch.
In the Bureau of Special Help:
Doctor Helpful is a non-player character who you can practice interacting with.
Mentioned:
Senator Savra is said to be the one responsible for BOSH losing its funding, and also a lizard person in disguise.
Hezekiah Horton was a supernaturalist who knew about portals, rods, and astral resonators.
Jeremiah Horton carried on Hezekiah's work, mostly by writing stuff down that Hezekiah knew.
Arthur "Spooney" Spooner either died of complications due to a stomach bug, or was killed by lizard people.
William Thompson worked at the town hall and also had a gym membership. He left his backpack behind.
Henry ran the skillet restaurant and had good coffee and TV, but maybe not the best truck battery.
Many many book authors are mentioned, and some of the books mention other people.
Several other names are on the town hall schedule.
A handful of names are on the vinyl records.
Credits
This is the response to CREDITS:
The Bureau of Strange Happenings is a work of interactive fiction created with Inform 7. It was written by Phil Riley.
Many thanks to the following people for their help and support: Playtesters Max Fog, Mike Russo, Tabitha, Peter Gross, Climbingstars, and Winifred Gosling.
My wife, Laura, for understanding my need to spend hundreds of hours writing something that only a couple of dozen people will ever play, and for innumerable helpful suggestions.
Third-party extensions used in this game: Standard Rules version 3/120430 by Graham Nelson
Epistemology version 9 by Eric Eve
Conversation Framework version 12 by Eric Eve
Conversation Responses version 7 by Eric Eve
Conversational Defaults version 3 by Eric Eve
Formatting Capture version 2/221014 by Daniel Stelzer (based on Text Capture by Eric Eve)
Undo Output Control version 5/170902 by Erik Temple
Gender Options version 3/210331 by Nathanael Nerode
Exit Lister version 11 by Eric Eve
Secret Doors by Gavin Lambert
Far Away version 5/160517 by Jon Ingold
Endings
Faraji is stranded in the past with Daniels.
if you ask Daniels what's next and you somehow don't have the recall button with you.
If you lose the boss battle, time rewinds. You're back in the circular chamber before the battle happens; try the battle again.
Inventory
๐ Books
Liber Animarum. Chief Klimp gives it to Faraji wnen they first enter Klimp's office.
Read it. It won't help you achieve any of your goals in this game, but maybe it helps in another game?
Advanced Temporal Mechanics, Theoretical Hyperspace, and White Light. They're on the desk in Minerva's office.
You can read them all directly without explicitly borrowing them. These books aren't helpful to you.
Tribes of New York. It's one of the books on the shelves in Moira's office. Ask to borrow a book and specify this one.
In the field office chief's office, show Tribes to Doris. He gives you a note to give to Christy.
In Christy's office, give Doris's note to Christy. They take both the note and Tribes and ask for coffee. Give the cup of coffee to them then try to leave their office. They give Tribes back with another note.
You probably should give Tribes back to Moira when you're done with it, but it's up to you.
No Myth After All: A New Perspective on Atlantis, Twenty Great PhD Theses of the Twentieth Century, Anatomy of a Hoax: Writings on Modern Medicine's Greatest Myths, Applied Speculation, Biking to the Ferry: a Memoir, Nonstandard Investigative Techniques, Calculus with Infinitesimals, and The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch. All these books are on the shelves in Moira's office.
You can read them all directly without explicitly borrowing them. These books aren't helpful to you. However... the Atlantis book seems to have been written by Moira under a flimsy alias, and Biking tells you more about Spooney.
Astral Secrets. It's on the counter in the Reading Room bookstore.
Read it to learn about making an astral resonator. Remember the author's name, Jeremiah Horton. Much later in the game, you visit his home in Enigma Lake.
The Ecology of Root Vegetables. It's in the bookstore basement.
Read it to learn that lizard people fear rutabagas.
The Book of Weird Names. It's on the table in the Horton Family House parlor.
In the church, examine the doll-fly; it angrily names itself and orders you to leave. Its name is randomized.
Look up the doll-fly's full name in the book (eg: LOOK UP ZORAX THE PUGNACIOUS IN NAMES) and find out what word (or phrase) is its bane (eg: FOOBLITZKY). The bane-word is also randomized.
Say the bane-word to the doll-fly to banish it. It drops the Rod of Hezekiah as it vanishes.
The Witnessing of Hezekiah. It's in the wardrobe on the second floor of the Horton House.
Read it to learn the recipe for making an astral resonator (repeating what Astral Secrets tells you) but with somewhat more detail (put the components into a wooden frame, hit the frame with the author's Rod, and climbing a ladder). It also hints that you will need three resonators in total to open a particular portal.
When Faraji first enters the front office, they give their smartphone to Margaret, who deactivates it. Their new phone is in the locked desk drawer in their office.
a thumb drive. Faraji acquires it when they first examine their computer. Find the computer by examining the desk in the front office.
Note that if you try to insert the drive into the chief's computer, the drive's plug is too corroded.
In the field office chief's office, give the thumb drive to Doris. He tells you what the symbols on it say.
a clean car battery. It's in your own car in the south end of the strip mall parking lot. Open the Hyundai hood and take the battery.
In Henry's Hot Skillet, put the battery onto the counter and attach the dangling wires to the battery. This gives power to the rusty astral resonator when you insert it into the socket on Henry's roof.
a table lamp (missing a bulb). It's in Rolle's Department Store.
Examine the lamp. Note the "Spectre" brand name; this alone makes it "ghostly" as far as occult recipes are concerned. (Hope you didn't waste too much time looking for ghosts or mentions of ghosts elsewhere because you didn't think the brand name was significant.)
In the vestry, move the tapestry to find a circuit breaker. Turn it on to restore power to the church.
In the church, plug the lamp into the extension cord, plug the cord into the outlet, and turn on the lamp.
Take the lit lamp into the church basement and read the Bible six times. One of the verses tells you a randomized scary word (eg: "hermeneutics") that lizard people run away from.
Unplug the lamp from the cord.
When you next encounter the lizard people, say the scary word to them to banish them. One of them drops a shiny astral resonator.
an extension cord. It's in the bookstore basement.
In the vestry, move the tapestry to find a circuit breaker. Turn it on to restore power to the church.
In the church, plug the cord into the outlet.
With the bulb in the lamp, plug the lamp into the cord and turn it on. Now you can carry the lit lamp into the church basement and read the Bible there.
Somewhat later, plug the makeshift astral resonator into the cord and turn it on. Now carry the lit resonator up into the steeple and put it onto the tripod. Oh yes, you need to take the telescope off the tripod first.
a wristwatch. Daniels gives it to you when you push the recall button for the last time.
In Dave's Pawn Shop, give the watch to Dave. He gives you a gift card in exchange.
Honorable mention: a blue flip phone is found in your desk in the epilogue.
โน️ Help items
All of these items are confined to the Bureau of Special Help region of the game and cannot be used elsewhere; say HELP to go there. These items exist only to help new players learn how to play interactive fiction.
IF Basics, Commands Volume 1, Commands Volume 2, Commands Volume 3, Strategies of Adventuring, Grammar of IF, and BOSH Game Book. All of these books are on the bookshelf in the Bureau of Special Help.
Read them to learn the basics of playing interactive fiction. You need not take these books to read them. They contain no spoilers about the game proper.
an umbrella. It's on the couch in the observation room.
Opening the umbrella indoors is bad luck!
a living room key. Acquire it by examining the flowers in the ornamental garden.
This brass key unlocks the door between the Bureau of Special Help and the living room.
a yellow flower. Pick a flower in the garden to get it.
There's not much you can do with the flower, and one flower is all you get.
Advanced Adventuring. In the living room, Doctor Helpful is holding it. First, ask him about it, then ask him for it.
Read it for advanced tips.
๐ Keys
a large key. It's in the desk drawer in the laundromat's back room.
The large key unlocks the laundromat's front and back doors.
Because you found the backpack and the red key under the desk in the town hall, you can safely assume that they belonged to one of the people named on the schedule attached to the desk.
The red key unlocks one of the lockers in the gym basement, but you're unwilling to try unlocking a hundred lockers one-by-one. In the public gym, look up the names from the schedule in the membership book to find out who had a membership here. You find a listing for Bill Thompson; his locker number is randomized.
Back in the gym basement, unlock Bill's locker with the red key. You acquire an old copper key from it.
a brass key. It's inside the abandoned truck's glove compartment at Lake and Ridge. Enter the truck to see the glove compartment.
The brass key unlocks the door to Henry's Hot Skillet.
an iron key. In the dirty shack, first successfully give a hot coffee to Hutz, then ask if he can help. You gives you this iron key.
The iron key unlocks the cabinet in the park's workshed.
a green key. It's on a hook in the public gymnasium.
The green key unlocks the gym door.
an old copper key. Acquire it by opening locker 21 in the gym basement with the red key. You know which locker by looking up Bill Thompson in the membership book on the gym's front desk, and you saw his name on the town hall's schedule.
The copper key unlocks the old wooden door of the Horton House.
Honorable mention: a grey key is found in your desk in the epilogue.
๐ฎ Mystic items
a pair of astral lenses. They're on the shelves in the chief's office. Ask Klimp for the lenses.
The lenses hurt your eyes when in bright light; you automatically remove the lenses where there's lit fluorescent lights or the very white featureless hyperspace.
In dark locations, like the utility closet, wear the lenses to see what's there.
In the back lot, wear the lenses to find the astral tunnel into the laundromat.
After turning off the laundromat's lights (the switch is in the back basement), wear the lenses to find the astral tunnel between the laundromat's main room and the back basement.
In the Horton House, wear the lenses to find the astral tunnel between the parlor and the fire station.
In the featureless hyperspace, the compass tells you your location using x:y:z coordinates in base-5. The letters o, p, q, d, and b mean 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. A negative number is marked with a # character after the letters. Go to "o:o:o" (meaning 0:0:0) to find the stair that leads to the field office.
In the Enigma Lake town hall, the compass pings softly and shows the number 62358234, the same number you originally saw on Christy's note.
On Solvay Road, by the lake, the compass pings softly and shows the number 53106414.
For any eight-digit number that the compass tells you, you can type that number on the keypad in portal room 1, so that that room's portal now connects to the location associated with that number.
By default, in most locations, the compass shows nothing.
a recall button. Doris gives it to you when you tell him you're ready to go.
Push the button to instantly teleport back to Doris's office from anywhere and anywhen.
In the root cellar, after you defeat the lizard people and ask Daniels what happens next, he alters the recall button so that when you next push it, he returns to the hyperspace field office, and you return to Swamp Park. Unfortunately, the button goes with Daniels; you don't get to keep this useful tool.
a rusty astral resonator. It's inside the locked cabinet in the park's workshed; unlock the cabinet with the iron key.
On Henry's roof, put the rusty resonator into the socket. If, in the room below, the battery is connected to the wires, the resonator activates and sends a beam of light to the crystal that's on top of the obelisk in Enigma Park.
a shiny astral resonator. The lizard people drop it when you say "hermeneutics" to them. You learned that word by reading the Book in the church basement; see lamp.
On the radio station roof, attach the shiny resonator to the tower. If the power switch inside the metal cabinet is on (see bolt cutters), the resonator activates and sends a beam of light to the crystal that's on top of the obelisk in Enigma Park.
a dowsing rod. It's in the Horton House kitchen.
The dowsing rod vibrates when you're inside the large grave. This tells you where to dig with the shovel and find the wooden frame. When you find the frame, the dowsing rod stops vibrating.
the Rod of Hezekiah. In the church, the doll-fly drops this when you banish it; see The Book of Weird Names.
Make sure the church's power is still on. In the vestry, move the tapestry to find the circuit breaker switch; turn it on.
Plug the makeshift resonator into the extension cord, and plug the extension cord into the church's outlet.
Carry the plugged-in resonator up to the steeple. Take the telescope off the tripod and put the resonator onto the tripod. Turn the resonator on. The resonator activates and sends a beam of light to the crystal that's on top of the obelisk in Enigma Park.
๐ ️ Other stuff
a strange piece of paper. Find it by examining the papers on the desk in the laundromat's back room.
Read it; it mentions the Dragon. This is just setup for the sequel game.
Doris's note. In the field office chief's office, Doris gives this to you when you try to give Tribes to him.
You can't read this note. It's just squiggles to you.
In Christy's office, give the note (and Tribes) to Christy. They will now ask you to fetch them a coffee.
a cup of coffee. In Minerva's office, ask Minerva for a coffee. She lets you pour yourself one.
In Christy's office, after you give Tribes and Doris's note to them, they ask for a coffee. Give the coffee to them then try to leave their office.
In the dirty shack, after you learn that Hutz has trouble focusing, fetch a second cup of coffee from Minerva's office and bring it to him as quickly as possible. To do that, first set the portal in Portal Room 1 so it connects to Solvay Road just outside his shack; see mystic compass. If you take too long, the coffee gets cold, and Hutz won't accept it. After Hutz drinks the coffee, ask if he can help you, and he gives you an iron key.
Oh, I suppose you can also drink some coffee too, if you want to. But you don't need it.
Christy's note. In Christy's office, Christy gives this note to you when you try to leave their office after giving them Doris's note, Tribes, and a cup of coffee.
Read it; it's an eight-digit number.
In the field office chief's office, give this note to Doris. Portal Room 1's portal is now activated and set to the note's number. The number is the space-time address for Enigma Lake's town hall, so that's where you'll go when you enter the portal.
a backpack. Find it by examining the information desk in the Enigma Lake town hall.
Wear it. You can put your stuff into it, but you don't actually need to.
a bell. It's on the information desk in the Enigma Lake town hall.
You don't need the bell. The resonant thing you actually need is the tuning fork.
Boo boo ba-doo boo boo boo by The Four Mouths, Isn't It Strange I Don't Love You? by Peggy Patti, Stop Calling Me on the Telephone, Darling by Deanna and the Deans, Norbert the Narwhal by The ABCs, Silly Little Love Song by Patti Peggy, and I'd Never Call You a Moron by Peggy Perry. All six records are in the broadcast booth's waste bin.
After you restore power to the broadcast booth (see bolt cutters), you can put a record on the turntable then turn on the turntable (or just PLAY RECORD) to listen to it.
Surprisingly, you can also PLAY RECORD BACKWARDS even though the turntable makes no suggestion that this is even an option.
a tuning fork. It's in Fresnel's Music.
When you hit the fork it resonates a pure 440 Hz tone. Also, if you're near the either the rusty or shiny astral resonator, the fork's tone resonates with it.
a sledgehammer. It's in the dirty shack. Hutz doesn't object if you just take it.
In the bookstore basement, hit the wall with the hammer to make a passage north into a sewer tunnel.
Sorry, you aren't permitted to destroy anything else with the hammer, not even a locked door or even a locked desk with a ringing phone inside.
a pair of bolt cutters. They're in the bed of the abandoned pickup truck at the intersection of Lake Street and Ridge Road.
On the radio station roof, cut the cabinet's padlock with the cutters to reveal a power switch inside; you also have a broken lock. Turn the switch on to restore power to the broadcast booth.
a broken lock. On the radio station roof, you acquire this lock when you cut the padlock with the bolt cutters.
You have no use for a broken lock.
a basketball. It's in the public gymnasium.
In the gym, you can SHOOT HOOPS with the ball and gain points, but you don't have to.
a metal ladder. It's in Hook and Ladder Company #1.
In the Horton graveyard, put the ladder into the grave so you can easily go down into it and climb back out again.
Surprisingly, while you can lean the ladder against a lot of other things, like the obelisk in Enigma Park or the dumpster in the back lot, you don't need the ladder for anything else.
a shovel. It's in the Horton graveyard.
In the large grave (see ladder), while holding the dowsing rod, dig (with the shovel) to find and acquire a wooden frame.
a telescope. It's on the tripod in the steeple.
Take the telescope off the tripod so there's room to put the makeshift astral resonator in its place. You have no use for the telescope itself; it's just in your way.
a rutabaga. It's in the closed green basket near Daniels in the old root cellar.
Tell Daniels to open the green basket, then tell him to throw the rutabaga at the lizard people. The rutabaga is near you. Take it.
If necessary, wait for Daniels to insult the lizard people, so they turn to him and are ignoring you. That's when you can throw the rutabaga at the lizard people to defeat them. (If they're watching you, they will evade the rutabaga when you throw it, and the rutabaga will be out of reach.)
After the battle, feel free to take the rutabaga again, but you won't need it again.
ten potatoes. In the root cellar, Daniels throws a potato at the lizard people, and it rolls back to you. The other nine potatoes are in the closed red basket.
You don't need any potatoes.
ten turnips. In the root cellar, they're all in the closed blue basket.
You don't need any turnips.
a Li'l Nectarine Gift Card. In Dave's Pawn Shop, Dave gives the card to you when you give his wristwatch to him.
In the Li'l Nectarine Convenience Store, buy the screwdriver with the gift card.
a red screwdriver. It's in the glass case in the Li'l Nectarine Convenience Store. Buy the screwdriver with the gift card.
In the front office, unscrew the screws (of the floor vent) with screwdriver. You automatically take the hex wrench from the vent and put close the vent.
a hex wrench. Margaret accidentally dropped it into the floor vent near her desk in the front office. Unscrew the screws (of the vent) with the screwdriver to retrieve the hex wrench.
In your office, unscrew your desk with the hex wrench to get your new phone, answer it, and win the game.
